


Choices, or a Lack Thereof

by Snickerdoodle89



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Choices, Death, Depression, Disappointment, F/M, Fear, Fluff, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, God Complex, Immortality, Love, Mortality, Multi, Near Death, Personal Growth, Sex, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-10-06 08:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10330292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snickerdoodle89/pseuds/Snickerdoodle89
Summary: A young woman may be more than one person's salvation.





	1. Chapter 1

   11:56 a.m., January 21, 2016

   The snow danced down lazily, having already unleashed its full strength throughout the night, blanketing the ground and the trees in a thick layer of ice cold white. Now it appeared to remain happy simply looking pretty against the frost bitten landscape. The heavy quiet and the relatively still air were a comfort to the lone woman walking around the trees, occasionally being interrupted from her thoughts by a branch giving way to its cumbersome snowy visitor and dumping a mound by its feet. She walked out to a clearing, the trees having thinned considerably. It was her favourite spot; in the winter now where she could see some fresh doe prints, in the spring when the flowers were jutting up from the ground like excited little children, in the summer when the birds sang and the wind rustled the oak leaves above her head, and in the autumn when everything turned gold and red and crunched under her toes.

   She plopped down on a stump she could no longer see but knew was there, and pulled a book of paper and a pencil from the brown leather bag she had been carrying across her shoulder. There wasn’t anything here for her to sketch today, as her mind was focused on the bust of an imaginary woman who would one day, hopefully, come alive in a watercolour realm. This space though, offered a serene mindset, and was perfectly able to put her in the mood to draw.

   She got to work quickly, knowing her thin fingered mittens would not keep her hands warm long enough to sit there all day. She hummed to herself every now and then, random songs poking into her mind as she scratched and scribbled and sighed in frustration when what she saw in her head wouldn’t translate to the paper. She huffed and jut her bottom lip out in a pout to the world. Something today just did not want to let her work.

   Stuffing the book and pencil back into her back, she sat quietly on the frozen wood and looked around her clearing again. She frowned.

   How had she not noticed it before she sat down? Something was…off, and the hairs on her neck stood on end as she slowly got up from her seat, clutching the bag’s strap to her chest as she continued to look around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her eyes, but she could feel it. Something in the air, like static electricity and a crushing deafness was starting to crawl up to her, engulf her. She released a breath she had been holding in, choking on a sudden urge to get out of there. Literally spinning on her heels, she turned and began walking briskly back the way she had come. Something like a breeze rushed past her from behind and she hurried her pace, fear starting to take hold.

  _It’s probably just a storm…just a storm, just a storm…_ she thought, over and over, trying to calm her rising anxiety as she knew it couldn’t be anything else.

   There was nothing out here but her and the animals and the trees. Monsters didn't exist. Monsters didn’t exist!

   Except they did.

   She froze in the snow, her breath hitching in her throat as the vision before her bared its teeth in a cold, dangerous grin.

   “Hello, dove.” The monster said.

   The woman ran.


	2. Chapter 2

***

 

   Steve scrubbed at his still damp hair as the white fluffy towel hung around his shoulders and he walked briskly down the hallway. His phone had received a text as he had exited his shower, telling him to meet in the conference room of the 4th floor in five minutes. He had been called back to the Avengers Headquarters by Tony just a day earlier, requesting his help with something ‘dire’. Though Steve and Tony had not worked together since the events in Siberia, Steve had heard something in Tony’s voice that had guaranteed him he would want to be involved.

   Rounding a corner he came upon the glass walls of the Avenger’s personal conference room; Natasha, Tony, Vision, Wanda, Sam and… Thor were already there. He paused outside the door, wondering if he even wanted to know.

   “There he is.” Tony said matter of factly, glancing up at Steve briefly before returning to the folder in front of him. The others all offered him a warmer welcome, with Thor coming around the table to grasp his hand.

   “Good day friend! It has been a while now! Though I do wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.” The God gave Steve a hefty shake as the two enjoyed their brief hello.

   “We all done now?” Tony asked, looking between the two men.

   “Tony…” Natasha warned.

   “Right, well, okay. So,” the brunette man opened the folder and pulled a pile of pictures out, scattering them across the table for everyone to see.

   Steve grabbed one and stared at it.

   “Loki’s…” He started, when Thor cut him off.

   “I thought my brother dead, or at least, lost to our worlds. He seems intent on causing more damage here on Midgard. What has he done?” Thor demanded, throwing a couple of pictures back towards Tony.

   “Well, when I first called you all back here, all we knew was that he had been seen in the small town of Ruderswil, Switzerland. Some of the townsfolk had seen him around the area and snapped some pictures, along with the local traffic cameras.”

   “Switzerland? Vy vould he go there?” Wanda asked curiously, eyeing a picture of Loki wandering a street in the early morning of the small town.

   “To enjoy the view maybe?” Sam said sarcastically, crossing his arms and turning to look out the window with anger on his face.

   “It wouldn’t be linked to Germany at all, would it?” Natasha asked, sitting down now to let the news sink in.

   “No connections that we could find.” Vision replied. “Though before today’s news, we really would have had no idea why he was there to begin with. That town has no Norse history, no ties to any groups that may be caught up in arms dealing, or working with what may be left of HYDRA. It has a population of 2,335, as of December 2015. There is nothing there that someone such as Loki would want.”

   “What did you mean before today’s news?” Steve asked, bracing himself for something more than the fact that Loki was back, and on earth to boot.

   Tony sighed, “Our agents were out there this morning, looking for any trace of him. They managed to find where he had gone…” he paused, looking at Steve, “They found someone’s footprints leading into the forest from a small house, about a mile up from the town. The footprints… well, she was on her way back to the house when her prints get erratic…”

   “Oh god…” Wanda whispered.

   Thor grew red in his face, “He has killed an innocent woman?!” He bellowed, about ready to smash mjolnir into the glass table. Steve had to wonder briefly why Tony needed everything to be made out of the most dangerously breakable surface as he envisioned the table shattering around them.

   “Well, we don't know.” Tony said, looking up at a now confused Thor.

   “You do not know if this woman has been murdered by my brother?” The blond said slowly, confused.

   Tony took more pictures out of the folder; they were of snow covered tracks. 

   “You can see here, she was walking back to her home, and then right around here it looks like she tried to turn around again and run.” He used a finger to trace the path she had taken.

   “They just… end.” Natasha said, grabbing the picture and inspecting it closely. “There’s no sign of anyone else’s prints, or blood, or a struggle really.”

   “Exactly.” Tony’s brown eyes looked tired, “We think he abducted her.”

   There was silence in the room as everyone tried to understand what exactly Tony was saying.

   “Why would Loki abduct some random woman? Unless she wasn’t random at all…” Steve trailed, waiting for an answer.

   Tony grabbed some papers and more pictures from the folder. They were Facebook posts and pictures of what Steve would have considered a girl, her genuine smile and freckled nose making her look extremely young, and innocent.

   “This is Lena Grayson. She was abducted by Loki sometime between eleven hundred hours and thirteen hundred hours on January the twenty-first, twenty-sixteen. She is twenty-five years old, a Canadian and Swiss citizen, lives by herself in a small house outside of Ruderswil that she bought right after her parents passed away, she has a cat, is a writer and a painter, has had minimal contact with anyone other than her grandmother who lives in another town, and some close friends who live in Vancouver, Canada, and has absolutely no reason to be taken away by him.” Tony concluded, taking a breath of air after his detailed introduction of the abductee.

   Thor examined a picture of her cuddling with a rather fat grey and orange tortoise shell cat. He frowned. 

   “What is it, Thor?” Steve asked, noticing the way the god looked at the photo.

   “You say there is no reason for Loki to take her but…” His brow furrowed more, “No, I do not know. But if it is alright with you, I would like to take this picture back to Asgard with me. I must seek some things back home in order to find Loki.” He grabbed mjolnir but paused before walking out. “It is odd he allowed himself to be seen so easily. My brother could have taken this Midgardian girl without anyone knowing it was him.”

   Tony nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine Thor. And you’re right, we’ve already thought about that. It is most likely a trap, but the girl is definitely missing, and knowing Loki is capable of coming back to Earth means we need to be vigilant.” 

   He looked over to Vision.

   “I was hoping you and Wanda could go scope out her place, see if you find anything the agents may have missed. Wanda, I need you to try and - “

   “Feel something.” She finished for him. “yes, I vill go now. Vision?” 

   Wanda walked around the table and out the door to gather some things, Vision floating behind her. 

   “The rest of you… I don't know. Look over her information, see if there is something there. At this point, we don’t have much to go on.” Tony rubbed at his face.

   “Has her grandmother been notified of her absence? What about her job? If she had one…” Natasha asked.

   Tony sighed, “Thankfully she was self-employed with her writing and art. She just finished up some paintings for a children’s book, so no one is expecting anything from her for a little while on that front. We have someone looking in on the grandmother under the pretence of being sent by Lena, since she will be away to ‘research’ her next work, or whatever. I don’t know. I’m not in charge of those details.”

   “We got it, Tony.” Natasha said, patting his back and gathering up the pictures with Sam’s help, now that he had returned from brooding over the window.

   “What about the cat?” Steve asked suddenly, seeing the girl’s - no, Lena’s - happy face as she snuggled her feline companion in another picture before him.

   “Uh… I don’t know? I think they just left it there?” Tony muttered, annoyed with the question. Why would Steve care about a dumb cat right now, of all things?

   Steve’s mouth set in a firm line as he nodded to the group and walked out of the room. He sent a text to Wanda when he got back to his quarters, asking that she check for the cat and make sure it was okay. Steve was more of a dog person himself, but something about that girl’s happy face made him want to make sure her friend, at the very least, wasn't left to die in a house with no owner.

   He sighed and sat back onto his temporary single sized bed, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his clasped hands. There really was no rest for the wicked, was there?

   His phone binged, a reply from Wanda, he assumed. He glanced at the screen and saw it was from Sharon.

 

_Hey, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it out to New York this weekend. The agency is afraid of me being linked back to the Avengers right now after what happened with Bucky. They say it’s best if I just…_

 

   He didn't read the rest, and instead threw the now drying towel from his shoulders to the floor, got up, grabbed his bomber leather coat and slipped out of his room.

 

***

 

   “Wanda, are you certain we do not require any other supplies?” Vision questioned, hovering over the blonde’s shoulder as she laced up her boots.

   “Ve are simply going to her house to look around. The other agent’s have already searched the area.” She drawled, getting up from the bench and zipping up her coat. The two walked out of the locker room into a short hallway, before entering the immense hangar bay. They moved toward the quinjet and made their way inside.

   Vision frowned as he entered the small cockpit to find an unexpected pilot.

   “Steve?” Wanda asked, taking a seat beside him in the co-pilot’s chair.

   Steve hit one of several buttons on the large control panel before him and the door to the outside world closed shut, a suctioning sound reaching their ears as the pressure lock clicked into place.

   “Figured I’d come along.” He replied, now guiding the small aircraft out of the large building into the open air field.

   Vision, who didn’t need to sit down, continued to float behind the pair. 

   “Does Tony know you are here?” His voice held a touch of concern.

   Steve reached above him and flicked a few switches, the engines bursting to life as they settled in front of the long runway. 

   “Tony asked us here to help find out what Loki wants with that girl. I can’t do my job if I need to ask his permission for everything.” he said, rather curtly.

   “But-“ Vision started, but Wanda turned around in her seat and gave him a look.

_Not now._

   Vision sighed and moved to the back of the aircraft, pondering over several things as the jet now made its way through the air towards the little house on the hill in Switzerland.

***

 

   Long eyelashes twitched as the skin around them crinkled with displeasure. The woman to whom they belonged grimaced as she held pale, paint stained hands up to her face.

   “Oh my go..d… what the fuck was that?” She asked to herself, her eyes still not opening, a raging head ache keeping her unable to muster the strength. She had no idea what was going on, her ears were ringing and all she saw in her head was a bright white and green mist. Had she fallen and hit her head on a tree root?

_I need to get up… get help._ Her hands trembled as she lowered them to the ground, it felt cold and rough, like rock. That was odd, where was the snow?

   Attempting to open her eyes, a wave of nausea overtook her and she fell forward to her knees and gagged, her eyes shooting open in surprise.

   “I would prefer it if you didn’t make a mess of my home.”

   Green-blue eyes looked up to lock with bright green ones. They belonged to a man with pale skin and black hair. He was sitting back lazily against a rock, one knee up, the other leg dangling down. He was fiddling with something that looked like an orange, picking at its skin and throwing it down to the rocky surface.

   “Y..You..?” The woman got up with shaking legs, swaying heavily as her head spun mercilessly.

   “Careful dove, we don’t want you cracking that head of yours open, now do we?” The man asked, sending her a malicious smile.

   “You…you’re…that guy…ugh.” A hand went back up to her head as she tried to steady herself, to think.

   Loki huffed and jump down from his spot, dusting himself off dramatically before swaying over towards her. She stumbled back.

   “I am Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief.” He caught up to her slow retreat and grabbed at her chin with violence and pulled her face up to look at him. “You would do well to remember it.” He snarled at her, chucking her face from his fingers and snapping her head to the side with his strength.

   “What…what do you want from me?” She panted, trying once again to suppress her urge to vomit all over the ground.

   Loki was walking away from her when he lifted his hands into the air and spun around to face her, his expression once again a quirk of the lips and a sparkling of the eyes as though he held quite the secret. God of Mischief seemed an appropriate name.

   “I have been advised to capture you for myself.” he said it so simply, as if she was supposed to know what he meant.

   “What? Why?” Her question saw his smile fall from his face.

   “You will stop acting as if you do not know.” Loki narrowed his eyes and turned around again. “I no longer feel like conversing with you, insolent woman.”

   “My name is Lena.” She snapped, her anger at his arrogance overruling the pain in her head. 

_What the fuck, what the fuck? This guy snatches me from my home and expects me to know why?Who is this idiot?_

   Loki’s head whipped back to stare her down, but he didn't say anything. Lena set her mouth in a thin line, holding back more than just vomit at this point.

   He made a sound like an annoyed growl and disappeared in a swirl of green, leaving her alone to look around at her surroundings. The rocky surface on which she stood was apparently some kind of space rock, currently in space. Stars and the swirled shape of galaxies shone dimly around her. Panic rose in her stomach as her brain couldn’t comprehend where she was or how she was breathing, and she proceeded to finally empty her stomach all over Loki’s so called home. He wouldn’t be pleased.


	3. Chapter 3

 

   Steve pushed the door to the small Swiss styled house open slowly. Vision had just surveyed the area, marking it clear, but one could never be sure with Loki.

   A loud meow greeted them as they stepped into the still warm home, but the grey cat ran for cover when the guests were not recognizable.

   Wanda started her work immediately, touching the surfaces of counters and walls, the handrail for the stairs, clothes hanging on a chair in the lone bedroom, art supplies strewn around a wooden desk, the empty, paint-splotched easel, even the browning bananas sitting in a wicker bowl on the kitchen island.

   Steve looked through the house silently, taking in Lena’s belongings such as a small stuffed cat toy that wore purple velvet overalls, the way she had her desk half-hazardly organized, the pictures on the walls of her family and friends, a half eaten bar of Lindt chocolate sitting on her night table along with a now cold-cup of milky tea… She really didn't appear to have meant to leave at all. Everything was sitting perfectly frozen in time as if waiting for her return. It made him wonder how long his own room had looked like this after he had fallen to the icy-cold.

   “There is no indication of a struggle.” Vision’s red figure joined him in the bedroom; he looked around. “There is also no indication of knowing of Loki, or even of us.”

   Steve fingered the white cotton bedspread gently. “Maybe she just didn't care much for it all.” He muttered.

   Wanda’s footsteps could be heard in the hall. “I do not feel anything out of the ordinary.” She called to them, still running her fingers along the wall. She came upon a painting of a woman on a street in a white sundress. It was done in simple watercolour, and she admired the painting for it’s play on light and the way it looked like the woman’s hair and clothes moved with an unseen wind. Her fingers hit the frame and a flash of black anger and green light hit her eyes.

   “Ah!” She yelped, pulling back from the wall and stumbling into the one behind her.

   Vision was at her side instantly, holding her shoulders to steady her.

   “What was it?” Steve asked grimly.

   Wanda looked at him from under her hand as she rubbed her head. She pointed to the painting.

   “Something… maybe Loki, has had contact vith that.”

   Vision, after making sure she was okay, went to examine the offensive object with Steve.

   “It is a watercolour painting.” He stated. “Quite well-done. However, I do not see why Loki would examine this piece.”

   Steve frowned and turned back to Lena’s study, rifling through the things on her desk and pulling all the sketches and paintings he could find.

   “Try these,” he held the pile out behind him for Wanda to examine as he continued searching through the drawers and folders he found.

   Vision grabbed the bundle and took one paper off the top. “Perhaps we should do one at a time.” He suggested.

   Wanda nodded and proceeded to touch the piece, this one was a sketch of a large man wearing headphones sitting on a bus. Same flash, same emotion, same colour.

   “Yes.” She said, cringing but not jumping back this time, knowing what to expect. Vision held out another piece. “Yes.”

   Another. 

   “Yes.”

   Another.

   “Yes.”

   Another.

   “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

   This continued until they had found every last piece of paper Lena had touched and marked and confirmed every single one had been in contact with what Wanda was now sure was Loki.

   Steve gathered them all back into neat piles and wrapped them as nicely as he could into Avenger’s marked file folders, placing those into plastic bags. They had been lucky Wanda had tested that painting on the wall, as all of her other works had been stored away in folders and boxes. The only neatly packed things in Lena’s entire study.

   They were about ready to head off when a loud meow startled them all again, having forgotten about the cat for the duration of their stay.

   The grey and orange coloured feline inched forward towards Wanda tentatively, before deciding she was trustworthy and would feed her. The cat rubbed against her legs and purred, and meowed again.

   “You are very talkative.” She reached down to pet the cat, who was silky under her fingers. “And fat.” She was rewarded with another meow.

   Wanda looked to Steve.

   “Vhat should ve do vith it?”

   Steve stared at the cat as it continued rubbing against Wanda, back and forth, back and forth, whining for attention and food.

   “Bring it.”

 

***

 

   “My my,” A voice drawled. Lena opened her eyes to look up between the fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. Loki was glowering over her, crinkling his own nose at the sick she had left on his rock.

   “I do believe I told you not to make a mess of this place.” He sounded calm, but she could feel the danger under his words.

   Lena huffed at him anyway. 

   “Yeah well, puking is kind of a normal response for us non-insane people when we realize we’re on some kind of magic asteroid or whatever.”

   He raised a brow at her, surprised she wasn’t just a quivering mass under his gaze.

   “Why do you hold your nose? Should it not be I who is disgusted?” he snarled, trying to instil some proper fear and respect into the _quim_ before him.

   “It’s called a migraine asshole. Besides, I don’t know what you expect me to do on this thing aside from be sick.”

   He turned his back on her and sighed in irritation, trying to hold in his temper. The Oracle had told him he couldn’t hurt the girl, but it was proving insanely difficult when she continued to talk back to him. He also hated that he knew she was right. He could not leave her here, not if he wanted to keep her alive anyway.

   “Do not worry, weak Midgardian, this shall not be your prison. I have something much more suitable in mind for you.” He grinned back at her over his shoulder. It wasn’t at all comforting, especially when he walked over to her, grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up onto her feet. The world around her spun and her head felt like it was splitting in half. And that was just from being forced to stand up. What Loki did next was worse than the first time he had taken her. 

   A green mist swirled around them as Lena’s body felt like it was being pulled back and forth from every possible angle on every inch of her skin. A loud rushing noise in her ears made it seem like her head was literally going to explode from the pressure and she was going to die a horrible bloody mess in some weird space-time travel worm-hole Loki was pulling them through.

   Just before that happened however, her feet touched down on soft snow. The hand that had gripped her arm, and no doubt left finger shaped bruises on her pale skin, promptly let go of her and she tumbled down onto her knees. It didn’t take long for more vomit to make its way up her throat at out of her mouth.

   Loki crinkled his nose at her again. “You Midgardians really are weak disgusting little creatures aren't you?”

   Lena wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, breathing hard. She didn’t reply to him but instead looked forward at the log cabin that stood in the snow covered clearing.

   “Really?” She asked, in disbelief.

   Loki couldn’t not reply. “What?” he demanded.

   Now she looked up at him, her green-blue eyes meeting his irritated emerald ones.

   “You kidnapped me from my snow covered cabin, just to bring me to another snow-covered cabin?” Her voice was flat. Loki’s mouth set in a thin line.

   “Do not take me for a fool, _dove_. This place will keep you alive, and _quiet_. No one will know you are here.” He started marching forward, his feet not leaving any footprints in the ground.

   Lena sat in the snow and looked around. She could tell this wasn't Switzerland, the trees, the mountains she could see, looked different. It looked a lot more like her old home of western Canada, and if it was, and Loki wasn’t an idiot, then she really would never be found. The immense vastness of that country would find her dead and beyond civilization in a few days if she attempted to flee. For now, she figured the best option was to follow him into the home. At the very least, if it came to it, she could do herself in in the comfort of a warm house.

 

***

 

01:12 p.m., February 28, 2017 (One year later)

 

   The green mist that enveloped the sidewalk outside of Stark tower had the alarms going off like crazy. Tony, who had been in the middle of fiddling with a new suit design almost cut his finger off as the horn blared into his ears.

   “What the hell?!” he cried out in surprise.

   “FRIDAY, what is going on?!” he demanded, now wiping his grease covered hands clean with a cloth and rushing out of his lab.

   “There is a familiar radiation signal coming from in front of the building, sir.” his A.I. replied calmly.

   Tony froze and narrowed his eyes, “Familiar how?”

   “It appears to be someone from Asgard.” it replied simply.

   Tony rolled his eyes and walked to the elevator, making his way to the ground floor. 

   “It’s probably Thor, FRIDAY. Please turn the alarms off.”

   “Yes sir.”

   Suddenly, all Tony could hear was the ringing left in his ears as the building quieted down once again. As he got to the ground floor, he gave a nod of apology to the receptionist as she glared at him.

   “I’ll get that fixed!” He yelled out before walking out the front glass doors.

   He looked around for his large blond friend but instead found a group of people forming a circle around someone on the sidewalk pavement. His eyes widened in surprise and he pushed his way through, crouching down next to an unconscious female form, currently being checked for a pulse by another person.

   “What happened?” Tony demanded, checking her wrist himself. 

   Still alive.

   The man in front of him shrugged. “I don’t know, there was some kind of green light and then she was just lying here.”

   Tony looked around at the people, then up at the clear blue sky.

   “I’ve got it from here.” He muttered, picking the girl up in his arms and turning back towards his tower.

   “O..uh.. she should probably go to the hospital?” The man called out to Tony’s back. Tony ignored him and entered his building, the people behind him muttered to themselves but slowly went on their way. They weren’t going to argue with Ironman.

   “FRIDAY!” Tony called, entering the elevator again, choosing not to look at the receptionist as she balked at him carrying some young unconscious girl into his tower.

   “Yes, sir?”

   “Call the others.”


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! So starting in this chapter, we start switching between the present time of the story (Lena with the Avengers) and the past part (Lena with Loki). I had originally written the past part in italics so it'd be obvious but it's a bit too much work for lazy me to edit all of that constantly on this site _sooooooooo_ I just put small tags at the start of a time change (Present) and (Past). If it's not clear enough let me know and I can try and change that up :)

Thank you for reading! 

 

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Steve could barely get his shirt on before his body tried to rush out of the door of his living quarters. The call from FRIDAY had just come in.

She was back.

He didn't know what to make of it. Over a year of searching and researching, and nothing had come up. They had gone over her art, her writing, her Facebook and emails. They had looked into her friends’ and family’s histories. There was nothing there that Loki could have wanted. As far as the broken Avengers knew, she was gone without a trace, most likely forever. In fact, they had slowly given up on looking for her. There was nothing new, no new bad guys with links to Loki, no news in Asgard of a brewing evil. Everyone had found more meaningful work to pursue, work that had given them results. But Steve didn't stop looking. Of course he had started helping Tony and the others with some new missions as well, but he had kept up the task of looking for any sign, any snippet that would have led them to her and to Loki. He wasn't going to let that bastard hurt anymore people.

He was down in the interrogation rooms of Stark tower in only a few minutes, but it felt like hours waiting for the elevator to take him there. Before the doors were even fully opened he was walking briskly down the hallway to one of the main interrogation rooms, choosing the door to the room beside it.

Tony was in there already, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Lena sit in a chair, wearing a white and blue speckled hospital gown, as Dr. Cho and Dr. Brier, a psychologist, spoke with her.

Steve’s breath hitched as his eyes laid on the real Lena. Her dark blonde hair was a lot longer than it had been in her most recent picture, and she wasn't smiling, but it was her. In the flesh. She was alive. A wave of relief washed over him.

Tony glanced over at the super soldier who was currently gazing through the one way mirror with his mouth open.

“She doesn't remember.” The older man said simply.

Steve turned to look at Tony. It took a second to understand.

“Nothing?”

“Nope.” Tony hit a green button beside a speaker in the wall, allowing the conversation between the three in the other room to enter the small viewing space.

“- recollection of what happened after you left your house to draw?” The brunette psychologist asked gently, scribbling on a notepad as she spoke.

Lena shrugged, “The very last thing I can remember is feeling kind of wiggy - like something was off.” She blinked a few times and frowned. “I think I left my stump - uh, I have a stump I sit on when I draw out in the woods… I was going to go back home.”

“And that's where your memory fades?” Dr. Brier continued, pushing round glasses back up her nose.

Lena nodded, “Yes. The next thing I know, I’m here.”

She looked between the two women before her, than glanced up at the one way mirror, feeling as though more eyes were on her.

“How long as it been since I left Switzerland?” She asked, a pit in her stomach was forming.

Dr. Cho and the psychologist glanced at each other.

“What makes you think it’s been a while?” Dr. Brier asked, curiously.

Lena gave an empty smile and grabbed a strand of her hair.

“My hair grows pretty fast but… well, this is a while’s worth…” She fiddled with the soft locks, rubbing them between her fingers.

Steve’s eyebrows raised in response.

“Smart girl. Quite lucid considering.”

The two women then turned to the mirror. Tony hit a yellow button beside the green one.

“Tell her.”

Dr. Cho took Lena’s hand. “I want to assure you that it does not look like you have sustained any traumatic injuries to your head… or anywhere else for that matter. You are in excellent physical shape.”

Lena could read between the lines pretty easily. “And mentally?” She asked quietly.

“Mentally you seem stable, aside from the fact that you can't remember… the past thirteen months.”

“Thirteen MONTHS?!” Lena choked, incredulous. “You’re kidding right?”

The two women looked at her grimly. “Unfortunately no. The good news is, as we said, you appear to be perfectly healthy, and you remember everything up to the date of your abduction. You just don’t seem to remember… your time away. And that could be for a number of reasons…” The psychologist trailed off. “Mr. Stark and I believe that it would be best if you stayed under the protection of the Avengers for now.”

“You think that Loki is going to come back for me?” Lena asked sincerely, but seeing the reaction on their faces, she knew that wasn't the issue.

“Oh.” She said quietly, looking down at the hands in her lap.

Steve, who had been watching closely frowned. “What are they saying Tony?”

Tony continued to stare out at the girl.

“Dr. Brier thinks that she could have been sent back as a sort of sleeper agent.”

“So you want to keep her locked up?” Steve asked, shocked. “She’s an innocent girl, we can’t just throw her in a cell to see what happens!”

Tony sighed.

“I’m not going to throw her in a cell…just keep her around…with some muscle in the vicinity to keep an eye on her.” He hit a red button to shut off the continuing conversation in the other room and faced Steve with a grim expression.

“Look. I don’t like it either, she seems like a sweet kid. But she’s been gone for more than a year Steve. We know what Loki is capable of in less time that that, who knows what he’s done to her head.”

Steve’s jaw clenched as he looked out at her again. At least she was back, he told himself. He couldn’t logically argue Tony’s position. Why would Loki abduct a human woman for a year and then just bring her back? It made no sense. Of course there was something more to it. Here at least she would receive the best medical care, and any mental health support she may require, if her memories came back.

His eyes darkened as he thought about what she could have gone through. Guilt coiled around inside of his belly and he decided that if she was going to be kept there, he would make sure she’d feel as at home as possible.

***

**(Past)**

Walking through the now open door was fairly shocking, to say the least. Lena had expected some kind of crappy shack waiting for her. Loki had not been particularly nice in the last few hours they had been together, so seeing the immense lushness of the cabin had her pretty speechless.

“Nothing to say this time?” Loki goaded, looking at her with an eyebrow raised and an obnoxious little smirk on his mouth.

Her green-blue eyes wandered around the large living room with its two plush white couches covered in emerald and aqua pillows, knitted cream and grey blankets and what looked like some kind of fur rug on the floor. A large wooden coffee table sat on the fur, leading the eye to an immense and beautiful white brick fireplace. To the other side of the living room was what Lena would consider a reading nook, with a high backed black velvet chair with gold claw feet and a white and gold daybed nestled along a wall of books.

The space was open and the ceilings high, not what she expected of a quaint little cabin in the woods. Up above, to the left of the living room, was what looked like a loft bedroom. Lena could make out part of a dark wooden desk and high backed green and gold chair, and the corners of what looked like it would be at least a king sized bed covered in more comfy looking white down filled comforters and pillows. Under the loft area was a kitchen, and the modernity of it had her even more surprised.

“You have a refrigerator?” She asked, bewildered.

His crazy smile widened as he looked over at the what she assumed was his equivalent of a fridge. It wasn’t a stainless steel contraption kept alive with electricity, but the black and gold box at the end of the counters was easy enough to figure out.

“I have created this place with you in mind, dove. You best be grateful.” He said. Then his smile fell as he watched her continue to scan the area.

“I’ll be leaving you here shortly. The bathing unit is upstairs by the bedroom. I think you will find it as sufficient as the kitchen.” He made a motion to walk out of the cabin but a noise she made had him stopping.

“Why have you brought me here?” She asked.

He only stared back at her intensely.

 _This guy’s face is a fucking roller coaster._ She thought, taking note of his ever changing expression. His green eyes seemed to hold the same dangerous spark no matter what his mouth did however.

“Now is not the time. I am leaving. Do not call for me unless it is urgent. I have better uses of my time than entertaining a mortal.” And with that he was out the door and gone in a haze of green before she could even blink.

“Then why the fuck kidnap me mother fucker?!” She yelled out into the quiet snowy clearing. Walking up to the door she slammed it shut and cursed him in her head as she gave the heavy wooden slab a few good kicks. Her anger at her situation had her temporarily forget about her headache. As she calmed down, now alone, it came pulsing back. Deciding the best thing to do would be to sleep, she made sure the door was secure before going up the spiralled staircase and coming upon the huge and very inviting bed. Flopping down into the soft pillows and mattress she sighed and closed her eyes. She’d think about what to do when she could, you know, think.

***

**(Present)**

Tony hadn't wanted her at the Stark tower or in his mansion - not enough man power around in case something happened. That was his excuse anyway. Steve had a feeling he just didn’t want to be burdened with Lena’s situation, something he’d probably encounter almost everyday if she was living in his residences.

He held back a grumble about someone being _immature_ and _selfish_ and continued walking down the hallway with the dark blonde walking silently beside him.

“I know it’s not ideal,” he started, “but these headquarters are pretty decent. You’ll have your own room and bathroom, there’s a cafeteria on the main floor for all employees - and you - to use whenever it’s open. Each floor with living quarters has a shared kitchen that’s usually decently stocked as well, if you want to make your own food. There is a pool, sauna, and a steam room on the first floor and a couple of gyms spread around, the main one is by the pool as well. And the facility also provides programs like yoga and meditation. I’ve left a schedule in your room of everything that goes on here so you’ll know when and where things are if you’re interested…” He stopped, waiting to see if she had any questions.

She just nodded at him, signalling acknowledgement.

“We’ve given you the pass card that’ll give you access to the cafeteria and most other areas here. Unfortunately with a place like this you kind of need to scan it at every door, including your own, so make sure you always have it on you or you’ll get locked out of your room.”

They finally came up to the end of the white hallway, a plain grey door with the number 12 in silver on it. A card scanner with a red light sat to it’s left.

The two stood in front of it for a moment before she realized what she had to do.

“Sorry…” She mumbled, pressing the card up to the scanner until the light turned green and the door unlocking made a click.

She pushed it open and came upon a plain but fairly large room with a single bed underneath a tiny window and nightstand pushed against the far light grey wall, a door to the bathroom was on the left and a plain desk and chair sat against the bathroom wall, with a closet door on the other side. There was even a couch backed up to the wall between her new room and the hallway.

She paused in the middle of the space and looked up at Steve.

“Well, it is a lot better than some prison cell I’m sure.”

He tilted his head at her slightly and smiled back.

“Yes ma’am, it certainly is. I’ll be moving into the suite just down the hallway, number four, so you won't be alone here.”

She suddenly looked concerned.

“Oh… I hope you don't have to live here on my account…?”

He shrugged it off.

“Soldier’s duty.” he said cheerfully, trying to erase the guilt that was showing on her face.

“By the way, since you’re probably wondering, we’ve had some of your clothes brought over from your house. They've already been packed away in the closet here.” He walked over to the closet, opening it up to reveal shelves and drawers. He picked a small case off of a shelf and held it up for her.

“We found these glasses in your home too. I assume you don’t need them all the time but figured they’d be good to have around.”

She nodded at him again, taking in everything.

“Mostly for when I paint or read…Uhm…” She pursed her lips, looking at him uncertainly.

“I know this is a long shot, but since you guys have been taking care of my grandmother - and thank you, by the way, for that,” she clenched her hand into a fist as she thought about her grandmother, worrying.

“You’re very welcome.” Steve offered. “It was the least we could do.”

“Well, thank you again…but I was just wondering… uhm…when you guys were at my place, was there a cat there by any chance?” Her voice had turned into a bit of a squeak as she had asked the question. She was afraid of finding out her little fur baby had disappeared, or worse, passed on due to her absence and the subsequent lack of care.

Blue eyes lit up as Steve offered her a huge smile, his eyes crinkling down at her.

“Your Bella is doing great.” He was ridiculously happy she had asked. He knew that she would care if her cat survived or not, and making sure she had been brought back with them to the mansion before deciding what to do with her long term was at least one thing he had done right in regards to Lena.

She visibly relaxed as she sighed in relief.

“Thank god. I’ve been wanting to ask about her since I had time to think about what the hell is going on…”

“She’s been placed with your grandmother, but I can assure you she's being well-loved by her and the caretaker we have watching over her. I’ll ask and bring over some pictures when I get a chance, I’m sure you want to see them both.”

“Yes… a little bit of home would be really nice right now, not going to lie…”

Steve placed his large hand on her narrow shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze.

“I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thanks again… for being so nice.” Sincerely, she held out her hand.

Steve took it in his calloused one and gave it a shake, acknowledging her gratitude warmly. With that, he took his leave and Lena was left to stand in her new room and look around.

She sighed openly as she sat down on the firm bed, grimacing at its stiffness. Falling back into it, she decided she would sleep. Either she’d wake up back home tomorrow since this was all some strange dream, or she’d have a clearer head to get everything straight and postpone any anxiety attacks she was bound to have coming to her.

At 6:38 pm she fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until well past noon the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Please leave any comments/criticism you may have. I'd like to learn and grow in my writing.
> 
> Hope you have enjoyed it so far :)


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